The invention concerns a knitting machine needle with a shank, which is provided on one end with a hook that ends at a hook point.
In knitting technology, two or more threads are often simultaneously fed to the knitting needles, in order to achieve special effects. One of these effects is so-called plating (or plaiting) of plain knitwear. Two threads are then fed to the needles so that one thread comes to lie on the front side of the product, especially the right side of the knitwear, while the other thread comes to lie on the left side or reverse of the knitwear, By employing threads with different properties, for example, threads in different colors or threads produced from different materials, different effects and optical impressions can be obtained on the front and reverse of the product. Threads that form the front side are often referred to as xe2x80x9cplaiting threadsxe2x80x9d, whereas the threads forming the reverse covered by them are referred to as xe2x80x9cbase threadsxe2x80x9d. These names, however, are of no significance, in principle, since it merely matters which threads lie on which side of the product and are designed to be visible.
The production of plated knitwear occurs by feeding two or more threads separately to the knitting needles, i.e., introducing them to the needle hooks with preselected spacings from each other. A situation is supposed to be achieved in this way, so that one thread is arranged as close as possible to the needle shank and the other thread as close as possible to the hook point and a good separation effect is achieved on this account. If in special cases a normal, for example, comparatively thick yam, and an elastic, for example, thin yarn (e.g. an elastomer), are simultaneously processed, then the thick yam is often fed close to the needle shank and the thin yam, on the other hand, close to the hook point (DE 2014229 A1).
Despite this thread guiding that appears to be relatively simple, there are invariably difficulties in the production of plated products. One main reason for this appears to be that the threads, during knitting, do not always maintain the position imparted to them during insertion into the needle hooks by the special arrangement of thread guides, so that the plaiting often varies aimlessly and the threads lie in alternation on the front or back
An attempt has been made to avoid these difficulties by imparting a shape to the needle hooks that deviates from the usual round shape and tapers to a point in the upper region, in order to avoid sliding of the threads out of their positions. Latch-type needles have also become known (DE 40 12 710 A1), whose latches are wider over a certain length than ordinary latches, in order to avoid sliding of one thread beneath the other during knitting. However, such solutions are more of theoretical significance, because needles of this type are still not offered on the market.
It is, therefore, an object of tis invention to suggest a knitting machine needle of the kind specified above and being particularly useful for producing plated fabrics.
Another object of this invention is to provide a plating needle of the generic type mentioned above with simple means which make possible to lay two or more threads with preselected spacings into the needle hook.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide the needle hook of the needle above specified with two or more thread support regions which keep the threads in predetermined relative positions during knitting
These and other objects are solved in that the knitting machine needle according to the invention has a hook with at least one separation edge on the inside, intended for separation of two thread support areas.
The invention proceeds from the idea of creating two spatially separated zones within the needle hook, one of which serves to receive one thread (for example, the base thread), and other to receive the other thread (for example, plaiting thread). Since the separation edge lies on the inside of the needle hook, it can render effective especially during the needles are drawn down for kiting and keep one thread closer to the needle shank and the other thread closer to the hook point.
Additional advantageous features of the invention are apparent from the subclaims.
The invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings by means of embodiments. In the drawings: